Reelection in 2020...

Sen. Tom Udall won't seek reelection in 2020

The two-term senator's retirement could set off a Democratic scramble for his seat in a blue-trending state.

By JAMES ARKIN

New Mexico Democratic Sen. Tom Udall announced that he will not seek reelection in 2020, forgoing the chance for a third term.

"The worst thing anyone in public office can do is believe the office belongs to them, rather than to the people they represent,” the 70-year-old Udall said in a statement on Monday. “That’s why I’m announcing today that I won’t be seeking re-election next year.”

Udall's announcement makes him the first Democratic senator to retire this cycle — and the first since 2016, when three Democratic senators did not seek reelection. Two Republican senators, Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Pat Roberts of Kansas, have already announced they won't seek reelection next year.

Udall — a member of the pioneering Democratic family in western politics that included his father, Stewart Udall, who was a congressman and long-time interior secretary — was first elected in 2008. In his statement, Udall called his final two years in the Senate an "incredible opportunity."

"Without the distraction of another campaign, I can get so much more done to help reverse the damage done to our planet, end the scourge of war, and to stop this president’s assault on our democracy and our communities," Udall said.

Democrats will likely be favored to retain control of Udall's seat in November. Republicans last won a Senate seat in New Mexico in 2002, when then-Sen. Pete Domenici won his sixth and final term. Hillary Clinton defeated Donald Trump in the state by 8 percentage points in 2016. Last year, Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich won reelection in a landslide and Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham won the gubernatorial race by double digits.

"We'll continue that trend by electing a Democrat to the Senate in 2020," Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokeswoman Lauren Passalacqua vowed in a statement.

All three members of the state's congressional delegation are considered potential candidates for the seat, according to Democratic sources. Rep. Ben Ray Lujan is a member of Democratic leadership and ran the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee last cycle. Reps. Deb Haaland and Xochitl Torres-Small are both freshman members.

Lujan called Udall a "giant in the U.S. Senate" in a statement Monday and said he would consider running for the seat.

"I am humbled by the outpouring of support I received today. In the weeks to come, I will speak with my family, New Mexicans, and supporters about the opportunity to serve our state in the U.S. Senate," Lujan said.

Two other potential candidates include Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver and state Attorney General Hector Balderas, who lost the 2012 Democratic Senate primary.

Balderas said in a statement that the focus Monday was on Udall, but he would have conversations with his family and provide updates "at the appropriate time."

Oliver praised Udall in a statement Monday and did not rule out running to replace him, saying her commitment to serving the state was "unwavering."

"As a result, every decision I have made and will make about my work for our state will be based on how I can best use my skills and experience to move New Mexico forward," Oliver said.

Adrian Saenz, a senior adviser to Latino Victory Fund, said in a statement that the group would push to elect a Hispanic in the U.S. state with the largest Latino population by percentage. The organization has launched recruiting efforts to draw Hispanic candidates into two other Senate races in Arizona and Texas.

"With nearly half of the state’s population being Hispanic, it’s crucial that the next U.S. senator from New Mexico be Hispanic," Saenz said.

On the Republican side, potential candidates include former Gov. Susana Martinez, who won two terms as the state's governor but left office with low approval ratings, or former Albuquerque Mayor Rich Berry, according to GOP sources.

Steve Pearce, the former Republican congressman who lost the gubernatorial election in 2018 and also lost the 2008 Senate race to Udall, could also potentially mount another statewide campaign.

Pearce "has a 42 percent statewide favorable rating, the ability to raise lots of money and powerful base of support. No one dismisses that lightly when an open U.S. Senate seat comes along," said Dan Hazelwood, the general consultant for Pearce's gubernatorial campaign.

New Mexico will be a difficult state for Republicans, but they will aim to recruit a strong candidate and force Democrats to play defense in a place they didn't expect at the start of the election cycle.

"The people of New Mexico deserve a senator who will fight for more jobs, lower taxes, and safer communities," National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Jesse Hunt said in a statement, "and we look forward to fielding a strong candidate in the New Mexico Senate race."